The Internet of Things encompasses devices and networks that are IP-enabled and Internet-connected, along with the Internet services monitoring and controlling those devices. Such IP-enabled devices connected to the internet may be termed data processing devices, end nodes, remote devices or Internet of Things (IoT) devices and include sensors, machines, active positioning tags, radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers and building automation equipment to name but a few. Data exchange between programs, computers and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) is a vital element of the Internet of Things and different programs, computers and processors are used in different environments.
The Wireless Embedded Internet is a subset of the Internet of Things and is generally represented by resource-limited embedded devices, often battery powered and connected by low-power, low-bandwidth wireless networks to the Internet.
An example of a network technology where Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication is widely applied is a low-power wireless network, such as an IEEE 802.15.4 based embedded and sensor network. More recently, as M2M devices have become IP enabled, systems have become more open by using IP as a networking protocol.
Following the introduction of IEEE 802.15.4 other standards were developed to standardize an IP adaption for such wireless embedded links. For example, the IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Standard (6LoWPAN) is a set of standards which enable the efficient use of IPv6 over low-power, low-rate wireless networks on simple embedded devices through an adaption layer and the optimization of related protocols.
The Open Mobile Alliance Lightweight LWM2M is a standard applicable to 6LoWPAN and is focused on constrained cellular and M2M devices. A Lightweight Machine-to-Machine (LWM2M) Bootstrap process is used to provide mandatory information through the Bootstrap Interface for remote devices so that they can perform registration with one or more servers. Registration assigns a remote device to a cloud based server to access applications across a domain. A domain may be a logical grouping of devices and when the domain is exported to Domain Name System (DNS), then the domain value normally equates to the DNS domain name.
The present applicant has recognized the need for an improved, and more secure, bootstrap process to register a M2M device with a server.